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It’s just like a Chief HR Officer at a recent conference said: Sourcing talent is like hunting moose. And how do you do that? Well, first of all, you track them down and find them by going where they are!

Here are 3 tips to turn your Sourcing Mission into a Gen Y Magnet:

#1: Define your ideal candidate profile

Every vacancy has a job description, carefully listing the requirements a candidate must fulfill in order to be considered for an opening. Surprisingly though, technical knowledge, education and experience seem to get all the attention during the sourcing and selection process. If we need mechanical know-how, we hire engineers. If we need IT expertise, we go after tech profiles. And if we need business credentials, we recruit MBAs. After all, the question every Hiring Manager wants to see answered is: CAN they do the job? But what about other important dimensions of suitability - what about Motivational Fit? Isn’t Technical Knowledge more like the ticket to the ball and motivational fit is what actually gets people up to dance?

Motivational Fit consists of at least two dimensions: Job Fit and Organization Fit, both of which are key to identifying the right talent for your vacancies. Job fit describes the extent to which activities and responsibilities, that are personally satisfying for a candidate, are available in the job; and organization fit describes the extent to which an organization’s mode of operation and type of environment provides personal satisfaction. Both should be considered in your sourcing strategy early on. You may find the best technically qualified candidate – if they are not motivated to do the job, you might as well just double your recruiting budget right from the get-go because you will need to replace them the moment they decide to leave and go where they actually WANT to work.

Get editorial space, blogs and articles into lifestyle magazines and on their websites (authentic coverage about “What life is like at XYZ” is worth much more than any glossy job ad)

Some of these ideas sound crazy to you? Well, that’s a good indication that they work with Gen Y.

#3: Make sure to integrate Motivational Fit in your Sourcing efforts

When you design your Sourcing Strategy, go beyond the standard approach of where to find the technical expertise, education and experience you need. Instead, pay specific attention to your ideal candidate profile in terms of the traits you are looking for – how does job fit and organization fit look like? For example, who would be happier in the job, an introvert or an extrovert? Depending on the answer, you might want to consider targeting candidates in book clubs or social hang-outs. If the job requires strong interpersonal skills, for example building new relationships in unknown territory, target participants in overseas volunteer projects. The job requires lots of business trips? Go after people who enjoy travelling and find out where they are. Depending on your company culture, you may want to source candidates in sports teams, start-up firms, or in debating associations. Whether you look for creative candidates in the world of the Arts, or for people with strong strategic thinking skills in chess clubs – there’s really no limit to your imagination where to find the right Motivational Fit!

Obviously, the above is true for candidates from any generation. However, Gen Y is inherently driven to find a job that matches their lifestyle and purpose. In fact, they are not looking for a job; they are looking for a mission! Thanks to their life stage, which typically entails a lot of freedom and few responsibilities, it is also relatively easy for Gen Yers to give up a job they hate, which makes their Motivational Fit weigh even more than for other generations.

So next time you hear complaints about sky-rocketing recruiting costs in spite of proper sourcing efforts to hire the right profile, you may want to analyze whether it was a motivational mismatch that drove your new hires to turn recruitment into a revolving door. Coach your Hiring Manager that both questions, whether a candidate CAN DO the job and WANTS TO DO the job, are key to successful hiring. In fact, even if a candidate does not fulfill all technical requirements, keep in mind that most skills and competencies can be taught and trained over time, whereas influencing someone’s motivation is much harder.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could turn the mandatory, often dreaded and ineffective annual performance review into a useful tool that helps engage and retain your company’s most valuable asset – human talent? Do the same tips apply to other generations as well? They might, but when we derived them, we specifically had Gen Y in mind, knowing that many of you struggle to retain young professionals in your talent pools.

Let’s start with something obvious – leadership. As a people manager it is your responsibility to hold an annual performance review with your direct reports, often scheduled around the end of the year, and while you may not be particularly fond of the process, it is an excellent opportunity to connect with your associates, to solidify your relationship and to show real leadership. Remember, relationships are extremely important to Generation Y and they will appreciate this 1:1 time with you. Done well, here are 3 simple and yet effective ways to spur employee engagement:

1) Be present.

Stay focused, no matter if your conversation is being held face-to-face, by phone or virtually – especially then! Show your associates the courtesy of undivided attention. Divert your phone to voicemail, ban your emails from distracting you and ensure not to be disturbed by others. This is quality time that you are investing in the relationship between you as a leader and your direct reports. This conversation is being held for your associates, not for you, not for your boss, not for the company. Your presence is an expression of appreciation and respect and will show your Gen Y talent that you care. There is no better retention tool than that.

2) Encourage dialogue.

As a leader, sometimes your role is to step back and leave the stage to someone else. This is such a time because this meeting is your associates’ moment to shine. They are eager to talk about their achievements, so give them permission to do that. Invite them to lead the conversation and to take you through their self-assessment. Listen actively and do not push the conversation in a certain direction unless you absolutely have to. Then provide your perspective, be open to discuss different viewpoints and engage in a true dialogue that transcends hierarchy. Generation Y likes to be treated at eye level. Allow it to happen.

3) Be transparent.

Say things as they are when you review achievements and performance. This requires courage – unfortunately, a rare quality in many leaders – but this conversation is your opportunity to do better. Set an example and be candid if you have to give negative feedback or explain a lower rating than the associate had expected. Be clear in what they should have done differently and where their self-assessment deviates from your opinion. More importantly, explain how they can do better and assure them that you will be there every step of the way to help them perform at their best next year. The fact that you can provide detailed feedback shows your Gen Yers that you watched them closely throughout the year. Knowing that their efforts are being noticed will motivate them to go the extra mile in the future.

Granted, none of this is rocket science and these tips may well improve your performance reviews with any associate, not just Generation Y. However, younger employees will be especially receptive to these behaviors and the effect they have on them can be powerful.

We live in disrupted times, where gender equality in the workplace may become second-place to defending basic civil rights concerning women. “Existing global political and economic models are being re-evaluated to create a great deal of international uncertainty. Women in our own economies are now facing a need to not only to push forward gender equality in their organisations, but also to support the dialling back of basic civil rights for women in other geographies. At the same time, we have seen an increase in the acceptance of everyday sexism facilitated by social media”, says Dorothy Dalton (3 Plus International and Master of Ceremony of the up-coming JUMP Forum).

If the current state of disruption is feeling acute, we may need to come to terms with this volatile and uncertain world as the new status quo,” comments Eleanor Tabi Haller-Jorden (The Paradigm Forum). The rate of change is accelerating, and technological disruptions (eg. the digital revolution, the internet of things, artificial intelligence and robotics, etc.), new economic models (eg. the collaborative economy, the gig economy), as well as organisational innovations (eg. open organisations) will all impact the place of women in the workplace.

If digital and technological skills are the skills of the future, and women represent less than 20% of graduates in these areas, do we not risk seeing a drop in the proportion of women in companies in the future? Are workplace flexibility and the collaborative economy an opportunity or a risk for women? Why are women mostly in support functions and not running the business? And what about the chore war at home?

The good news is that today, more and more companies are making efforts to move on the path towards gender equality. But even with the best of intentions, the needle is not moving fast enough. The last World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report points out that this year, the economic gap between women and men, far from narrowing, has widened back to its level of 2008. Despite all the studies proving its beneficial impact for the economy, gender equality is sliding backwards.

Bringing gender balance to the workplace requires a real cultural change, a change of mindsets, with diversity imbedded into the strategy, the corporate culture, the processes… Peter de Prins (Vlerick Business School) stresses the importance of integrating both the rational and the emotional aspects in such a change management process. “This must of course be led from the top; however, CEO engagement is a necessary but not sufficient condition. If the teams in place are not engaged, there will be no change,” highlights Eleanor Tabi Haller-Jorden (The Paradigm Forum).

Yet, integrating gender equality into the day-to-day work of an organisation is more than just having policies, processes, goals and objectives on diversity in place. Elisabeth Kelan (Cranfield School of Business) points this out: “Tackling inclusivity in the workplace needs more than an unconscious bias training, it’s about everyday inclusion, it calls for people committed to calling out examples of bias every day.” Engaging the middle managers will be critical to success.

Organisational change depends on its agents of change, and requires men, as well as women, to understand what’s in it for them, to engage and drive this change. As Bill Proudman (White Men as Full Diversity Partners) says, “men have work to do along with women to challenge assumptions that have largely left many just thinking gender equity is about helping women with their issues. Men have a gender as well and are impacted by inequity in ways they often don’t see or fully understand. When all better realise this, then the real change work can begin.”

There is no “gender fatigue” when there are results.

By putting gender equality at the heart of change, we can transform good intentions into great performance. Join us at the JUMP Forum in Brussels on March 21st (Paris on June 1st, Lyon on October 5) to meet these visionary experts and learn more on how we can all drive change!

Wait a minute… are you sure this headline wasn’t meant to read the other way around? Indeed, most articles take the opposite approach, zeroing in on Generation Y’s tech savviness and how they can teach older generations to communicate in the Digital Era, particularly using social media and digital technology. Reverse mentoring is a popular trend in this area and while there is nothing wrong with mentoring, reverse or not, we like to think of it as a two-way process rather than a one-way street. This post reminds us that there is much members of the Baby Boomer and X Generations can teach members of Generation Y (aka Digital Natives, Millennials), particularly when it comes to effective workplace communication.

On the one hand, it seems using technology is innate to Digital Natives: most know how to navigate social media without any formal training and the mechanics of using various apps is second nature to them. On the other hand, they can be quite clueless about how to leverage these digital tools for professional purposes. To leverage something means “to make the best use of it and to maximize its benefits” and here is where Boomers and Xers come into the picture! While Digital Natives might be well versed on the technical side of social and digital tools, they rarely know how to use them in a professional context, let alone how to maximize their benefits and avoid a number of pitfalls. Now, take Gen Y’s tech savviness and complement it with the business experience and expertise of older generations and you’ll come up with a powerful blend!

Here are some of my thoughts on how Boomers and Gen Xers can help Digital Natives make better use of social media and digital technology for more effective workplace communication. It all comes down to tact, tone and timing.

Understanding Communication Context

Baby Boomers and Gen Xers can help Digital Natives make thoughtful, conscious decisions about the right communication channels to use in specific situations. Questions to ask include: Who is your target audience and how do you reach them best? How sensitive is the content you are about to share? Who can or should have access to it? How formal does the communication need to be? More specifically, they can:

Assess whether it’s appropriate to communicate using newer forms of communication (e.g., social media), or whether it might be better to stick to conventional methods

Help Gen Y recognize that some topics require more information than can fit into a tweet, text message, status update, or chat message.

Demonstrate how to identify situations or occasions when face time or a phone call might be a better option than an email or text message.

Teach them to consider confidentiality and potential legal implications, especially if they communicate virtually. Often Digital Natives are not aware of the risks and pitfalls associated with social media.

Respecting Communication Preferences

People are different, regardless of the generation they belong to. Their generational background just adds another diversity dimension to consider when communicating with them. Learning about the individual preferences of key stakeholders may take some time but is well worth it because catering to these preferences can truly boost effective communication. Baby Boomers and Gen Xers can help Gen Yers understand and respond appropriately to communication preferences in the following ways:

Teach them to show respect by addressing people appropriately, both in written and oral communication. It is part of professional communication etiquette.

Point out that some members of older generations consider a formal tone of voice an expression of respect for their seniority – a must for successful relationship building with more seasoned colleagues.

Clarify the fact that some people prefer to keep their professional and private lives separate. Not everyone likes to friend their colleagues on Facebook.

Explain that some people choose not to be online 24/7 or access all resources from a single device. The way Digital Natives communicate in the workplace needs to reflect that.

Remind them that some people might need time to digest information before they can make a decision: sending pre-reads ahead of time and setting reasonable deadlines for follow-up is usually a good idea.

Coach them towards acknowledging the fact that some people appreciate print-outs during a meeting. They might want to check if coming prepared with hand-outs is expected.

Understanding Communication Quality

A lot of Gen Yers have not yet had a chance to hone their professional communication skills, simply due to a lack of experience. They are used to more informal communication amongst peers in a non-business context and they still have to learn that the way they communicate reflects back on their image on the job. Here are some ways older generations can help Digital Natives improve their communication quality:

Explain that correct spelling exudes competence. Period.

Show them how to communicate more efficiently by including a clear call for action or a summary of relevant content at the beginning of a message, instead of simply forwarding a long email chain.

Remind them to think twice before posting something in cyberspace because the internet never forgets.

Your Thoughts?

Members of all generations can help each other enhance communication and collaboration by blending various channels, methods, and styles for the sake of maximizing organizational benefits. What other ways would you suggest that older generations can help younger generations engage in more effective workplace communication? What examples have you seen or experienced in which generations work together to better leverage a range of communication technologies?

Worldwide, the rate of enrollment in university-level education of young women now surpasses that of young men. However, according to the World Economic Forum, only 16% of those women are obtaining undergraduate degrees in Mathematics, Informatics, Natural Sciences and Technology (MINT) subjects. In contrast, 30% of male students graduate with MINT degrees, with the biggest differences in engineering, mathematics, and computer sciences. We are living in a world in which women make up 46% of the civilian workforce, but just 26% of the MINT workforce.

The American Association of University Women released a report which attempted to answer the question, ‘why are so fewer women pursuing careers in MINT fields?’ As it turns out, it has nothing to do with ability or even interest, and everything to do with cultural and societal beliefs, learning environments, and implicit biases about gender. More specifically, factors such as lack of encouragement from family members and teachers, unconscious beliefs about gender in math and science industries, lack of self-confidence, and the dominance of unflattering archetypes found in media can have a huge affect on girls’ desire to pursue stereotypically “male” fields.

Because the odds are already stacked against women who pursue MINT careers, we need to ensure these women have the best possible chance of succeeding in those fields. Here are a few steps we can take to begin to shrink the gender gap and attract more women to MINT careers.

Foster an Interest

The first way to show that an organization is committed to hiring diverse candidates is to build a MINT pipeline in the local community. Creating programs that cater to girls and young women is an excellent way to show potential employees that the organization places value in diversity. Firms can host “open days” where girls are able to tour of offices and laboratories and speak with female employees. Additionally, they can partner with schools to sponsor MINT clubs or competitions to encourage girls and young women to participate in science and engineering projects, where employees volunteer their time to work with groups as they conduct experiments or build machines. Similarly, internship programs for secondary school or university students can showcase a commitment to hiring female staff and beginning a mentor process that can support young women as they start their journeys into MINT fields.

Actively Recruit

During the hiring and promotion processes, it is vital to actively consider female applicants for both entry-level and leadership opportunities. Even those who actively reject gender stereotypes may still have unconscious beliefs about women in MINT fields. Before looking at applicants, it is imperative that we learn about our own biases, understand how they may affect the decisions we make, and take actions to correct for those biases.

One way to actively recruit female candidates is to advertise jobs in in places that specifically target women. There are plenty of professional networks that cater to women in MINT industries. As these communities host meetups and conferences, ask if your company can be a part of it. Whether you are interested in speaking at a conference, sponsoring an event, or simply advertising jobs on their websites, there are plenty of opportunities to introduce and establish yourself in spaces that are dedicated to women in MINT.

Another way to attract women is to reevaluate how the jobs are being advertised. The end result of hiring more women must begin with more women to apply for jobs. Applying for jobs is a tedious and often unrewarding process. More often than not, candidates are looking for things that disqualify them, so they don’t have to waste their time applying. When writing job descriptions, remember that the purpose is to persuade people to apply, not to discourage them. Some ways to boost application rates are to avoiding gendered and aggressive language, only listing qualifications and technologies if absolutely required for the position, and explaining the opportunities for training, mentorship, and growth within the role.

Implement Workplace Policies

In order to combat misogyny in the workplace, conduct departmental reviews to find out how the women in the office perceive the company culture. Historically, women in MINT fields have been forced to endure degrading comments and overt discrimination from their peers or superiors, so it is vital that all employees know that the company does not tolerate inappropriate comments or actions.

Secondly, consider implementing mentoring programs for junior employees, and continuing to foster talent. As women feel supported in their work environment, they are much more likely to remain at the company and return after taking time off. Flexible work hours, parental leave, and strategies to ease the transition back to work after taking time off can significantly impact the longevity of women’s careers.

Finally, though the wage gap in MINT careers in smaller than that of the general population, a substantial gap still exists. If employers work diligently and transparently to close this gap, it may entice women to pursue MINT careers.

As more women are hired and have positive work experiences, MINT fields will naturally become a more inclusive space. However, we can’t just wait around until that happens. By taking positive actions now, MINT employers can inspire and benefit from the millions of young girls and women who are ready to break down barriers and destroy gender stereotypes.

Highlights of a European research conducted by JUMP, the leading social organisation in Europe on Gender Equality at work.

Three quarters (78%) of men believe they will benefit from more gender equality in the workplace. However, less than 1 man over 4 declare to be actively involved in making this a reality. One third of those surveyed declare to be against gender equality (some more actively than others) whilst half of them are generally positive but not actively engaged.

Equal rights may exist in Europe as a principle, but this is not yet translating into practice in the workplace. Gender equality at a professional level has been talked about for over 20 years but the voice and opinions of men are often neither sought nor heard. We rarely see them at events or following training on the issue. Yet, men have a critical role to play in promoting and enabling gender equality as they typically hold over 90% of the executive roles in large corporations.

During the JUMP Forum 2017, the biggest one-day event on Gender Equality at work in Europe, Bill Proudman, Founding Partner and COO, White Men as Full Diversity Partners, will address the question both women and men are asking themselves globally: Do Men Want Equality at Work? What is masculinity and what does it mean for gender equality? How can we all together put gender equality at the heart of change and move beyond good intentions towards a great performance?

For and against

Those ‘for’ more equality are more likely to be approaching the end of their career, or have at least one daughter or have a partner who is also working.

Those ‘against’ are more likely to be in their 30s, have no female partner, or have no children (or only boys) or a partner who does not work or who earns significantly less than them.

In terms of the benefits to be gained by more gender equality in the workplace, employees and middle managers cite equal access to a better work-life balance, the breaking down of male stereotyping as well as being perceived as a more ‘modern’. The latter is also recognised as a benefit by executives and senior managers, although they place more emphasis on the benefit of higher productivity and better business results.

When asked about their concerns associated with more gender equality, 54% of the respondents express no concern about their own career progression but 70% are concerned on behalf of their male colleagues who feel threatened by women’s career advancement! And the idea of quotas or targets is certainly not welcomed.

If more than 75% of those who responded to the survey say that they do see the benefits for themselves of more gender equality, 30% declare themselves either directly opposed or reticent. Those ‘against’ fall into two main categories:

• Employees or middle managers, in their 30s

• Men who have no or little experience of working with women.

In the first case, the explanation may be that the men are at an early stage in their career, still wanting to progress and therefore feel that women are competing against them. In the second case, this could be a reflection of the type of industry or sector, which may be heavily male-dominated.

Active supporters and bystanders

The higher the rank (and therefore the likely higher the age) the more likely men are to appreciate the benefits of gender equality and to be active as a mentor or in taking concrete actions to help women in their careers. Another contributing factor to appreciating and promoting more gender equality is linked to the experience of working with, or for women, which would appear to help break down any pre-conceived perceptions.

The survey detects levels of stereotyping and bias: 20% of the respondents believe that women are less ambitious than men are, and 13% do not feel that women have the required leadership capabilities. Men in the 50-60 age bracket in executive roles believe the issue is with the women themselves. This bias could be related to those men being part of a more traditional couple/family model where the woman’s place was at home.

Almost one in four respondents (mainly from the ‘against’ category) admits to having made sexist remarks at some point. If we are to eradicate this behaviour from the workplace, then the other men should not use silence as an excuse, even if the remark may appear light hearted. Companies need to be clear that sexist behaviour will not be tolerated in any shape or form.

Are women responsible?

The men who participated in the survey believe that the company they work for is inclusive towards women and that both genders are treated equally and fairly. In order to create even more inclusivity and equality they recommend specific initiatives such as work-life balance, and coaching and mentoring for men and women. However, they do not favour women’s networks or initiatives that are focused solely on women. Nor do they want specific gender-equality training or initiatives.

In the same vein, more than one third of the respondents feel that their male colleagues would be threatened by targets such us female quotas even though companies are increasingly putting these in place in order to achieve more gender balance at management levels. A possible explanation for this is that both culturally and traditionally, men have dominated management roles, and therefore many men do not have a conscious understanding of a ‘lack of equality’ simply because unconsciously for them a male-dominated environment is the norm.

How to make men allies of women in the workplace

Whilst it is important to give women the means to navigate and succeed within the organisational culture they experience at work, it is also essential to encourage men to understand how society is changing. The patriarchal norms of the past are slowly being eroded to create a more equal society. This is a profound change and it needs to be seen as an opportunity rather than a threat. Perhaps it is time for men to recognise that for centuries they have (unknowingly) benefited from what could be termed as an invisible quota in their favour.

For this reason, JUMP has developed training modules that are focused specifically for men in the workplace. Our joint objective is for men to become the allies of women and to recognise each other’s talents so that a company’s success is based on meritocracy, inclusivity and performance.

Equality is not a women’s issue alone. It is men’s issue too. They need to be part of making it a reality.

*Online survey was sent to the JUMP database (175000). Of the 2 660 respondents from Europe, 96% were working, mainly all (90%) as employees. 30% self-selected as executives, 48% as employees or middle managers and 11% as junior managers. The survey results do not include ‘other’ categories that were too small to be statistically relevant.

The nature of work is changing. The hours spent in the office are getting longer and the factory jobs of our parents and grandparents are long gone. Workspaces have already changed over the past 30 years, and they don't seem to be settling down anytime soon. It’s hard to prepare for every single possibility a future workspace may hold, but thankfully, in a recent report, "The future of work: A journey to 2022," PricewaterhouseCoopers identified three trends of modern and future workplaces the can help us navigate the road ahead.

1. Money is Everything

The first trend is that of the corporate minded organization. This company focuses solely on profits, revenue, and growing its market share. Employees work more hours, but are compensated well for their sacrifices. The increase in expectation is met with job security and an increase in earnings and rewards for the top performers.

In order to work as efficiently as possible, these organizations will rely on the collection of personal and professional data. Though it may be difficult imagining a world where your employer has access to your daily health habits or location, the increase of wearable technology has made this much more of a reality. In fact, the survey found that over 30% of participants would have no problem with employers having access to their health data (PwC, 2015).

This type of work environment may sound great to the C-Suite, but it would come at a great sacrifice of the employees. Work/life balance would be heavily skewed towards the work, and sleep, physical, and mental health would most likely suffer.

2. Contracted Hires

The second trend reflects globalization and the generational shift towards specialist skills. Where collaboration is no longer restricted by location, companies now have the option to hire the best person for the job, regardless of locale. This model emphasizes project by project employment contracts and the ability to work remotely.

Contract and consultation employment is already shaping the workforce. Today, 31% of HR professionals are building talent strategies based on portfolio careers (PwC, 2015). Intuit has estimated that by 2020, 40% of U.S. workforce will be made up of freelancers (Intuit, 2020 Report, 2010). The freelance website Upstart already has 10 million registered users from 180 countries.

This trend would be great for small companies who need specific jobs done, without hiring a full-time staff member. However, these contractors would lose all sense of job stability. The stress of constantly interviewing for work would be immense, especially for those supporting a family. Individuals would also be responsible for their own training and development, which would shift the cost from the employer to the employee.

The role of HR would then move to sourcing and negotiating contracts and finding ways to motivate people who have never set foot in the office. One of the biggest HR challenges here would be hiring people who genuinely have the expertise required for the job. Reviewing and verifying sample work would be imperative. One solution may be an industry-wide rating system, which would penalize poor performance and make it more difficult to get future work.

3. The Holistic Approach

The final trend is the socially conscious organization, emphasizing both social and environmental responsibility. According to the PwC report, 65% of people around the would want to work for an organization with a powerful social conscience. This can take the form of the company using renewable resources, partnering with nonprofit or community organizations, and setting up volunteer opportunities for employees. It also may consist of flexibility in work hours or location and fluid work paths.

Many large organizations have been shifting towards this style in recent years. Netflix and Amazon are now offer significant paid parental leave. Other companies are reducing work hours, or allowing employees to work from home. This flexibility in the work week allows people long stretches of uninterrupted time to get work done, while allowing the employee to work where they feel most comfortable and productive.

In return for this holistic focus, employees would feel a loyalty to a company that treats them well. It will be a function of HR to drive the social responsibility agenda of the organization and help employees find that all-important work/life balance.

There is no guarantee that your company will follow any of these models, but it is guaranteed that there significant changes ahead. Though there are no right or wrong models, you should take these trends into consideration when considering job prospects or planning their future careers. Finding a company that aligns with your personal work philosophy will help maintain job satisfaction and overall happiness.

If you’re looking for a powerful strategic recruiting approach that has powerful long-term impacts, you really only have two choices: employer branding, and a “recruiting talent pipeline.” While almost every major corporation is investing heavily in building their employer brand, it’s quite rare for one to actually have a high-performing external recruiting talent pipeline. A recruiting talent pipeline approach is known by a variety of names, including a “recruiting prospect inventory,” a “recruiting pool,” or a recruiting network. It is designed to give you a continuous supply of high-quality and interested external recruiting prospects to choose from. It is strategic because it has a long-term talent-supply focus, which means that critical jobs can be filled faster and with higher quality and more interested prospects.

A recruiting talent pipeline is also known as a talent/candidate pool or network. It is an inventory of qualified individuals who could quickly move into your future job openings.

The Top 12 Business Benefits From Having a Recruiting Talent Pipeline

There are many benefits that result from having a well-executed recruiting talent pipeline or recruiting inventory. When you’re building a business case, for one, be sure and include these business impact factors:

You will hire better-performing new hires — with more time to find them, you will end up with a large number of high-quality prospects. And once the best are identified, you will have much more time to build a trust relationship, which is required in order to get top prospects to apply. There will also be more time to more accurately assess them and to effectively sell them. And because you keep an open slot for exceptional currently employed inventory members, you can hire them immediately when they consider entering the job market. These factors taken together will result in higher-performing hires. And with more spread out and thorough vetting and reference checking, your percentage of “weak hires” will decrease dramatically (46 percent of hires are failures). And the chance of hiring a complete “hiring catastrophe” who must be released will be almost nonexistent.

You’ll hire exceptional talent that you couldn’t with standard recruiting — this candidate-centric process makes it possible to hire individuals who literally could never be hired with a traditional hiring process. This type of approach is essential for successfully recruiting innovators, industry icons, and senior executives. With a better candidate experience and extended two-way communications, you’ll be able to customize both the jobs that you offer and your sales pitch to each individual high-value target.

You will be able to identify more and higher quality recruiting targets — because there is pressure to fill the job immediately, most normal sourcing is so rushed that it misses numerous top prospects. Still other desirable prospects will be missed under the traditional model, because they would not be actively in the job market at the precise time when you’re looking. And with more time to get to know them, extended sourcing gives you time to ensure that they have the right skill set, fit, and to convince the very best to agree to apply. With a high volume of high-quality candidates, managers will no longer have to settle for “butts and chairs” hiring.

You can identify developing talent early — because there is no rush, you can identify those prospects who are still developing but who have a promising career trajectory. Over time, you can build a relationship and interest (when other firms have no interest in them). So when this developing talent finally reaches the required skill/experience level that you need, you can formally recruit them.

Higher retention rates among new hires — because the standard hiring process “rushes” candidates into an immediate decision, a significant percentage (over 50 percent) end up regretting their hiring decision. However, because prospects in the recruiting inventory are not rushed into applying and deciding to take a new job, they have more time to thoroughly learn about the company. There will be no surprises after they start because of that deep knowledge and the commitment they had built up over time. This lack of surprises and knowing exactly what they will get will result in a much higher retention rate from new hires who were in the recruiting inventory.

Higher offer acceptance rates — because those in the inventory have had more time to learn about and like the company, they will be more convinced of the advantages of joining. In addition, because of the two-way communication over a long period of time, the firm is more likely to capture and understand the unique needs of those who they target. As a result, their offers will be sculpted to meet those unique needs. Taken together, this will dramatically increase your offer acceptance rates from those who were in the inventory.

Lower salary costs — the very best active candidates are in high demand. And because they are often fought over, their salary expectations go up. However, because you hold open slots, you can hire exceptional prospects immediately before they actively enter the job market. The stretched out talent pipeline approach also gives you more time to identify under-the-radar prospects who will be completely missed by other firms. Taken together, this means that there will be fewer head-to-head competitions. This reduced competition and bidding mean that you can land quality prospects without having to offer them higher salaries.

Critical open positions will be filled more rapidly — critical positions must be filled with exceptional talent. However, under the traditional “rushed sourcing model,” often no qualified candidates can be found, so positions go vacant for extended periods of time. And in cases, positions are literally never filled. Extended vacancies in critical and revenue generating positions directly cost the firm revenue and they also slow progress. The pipeline approach can fill jobs almost immediately because a large volume of talent has already been pre-identified, vetted, and presold. The large volume of talent in your inventory also means that almost no positions will go unfilled.

You will provide your firm with a competitive advantage — if you’re using a talent pipeline approach, your firm’s managers are undoubtedly highly competitive. Because most firms don’t have an external talent inventory at all, with higher-quality applicants and faster hiring you will be providing your firm with a competitive advantage over their talent competitors.

Hiring manager satisfaction will increase dramatically — the rush of normal panic sourcing means that there will be some “turkeys” in your candidate mix. However, without the rush and with more time to vet, the pipeline process will deliver candidate slates with a higher average “quality of candidate” and zero disinterested and not-qualified candidates. As a result, hiring managers will waste less time dealing with inferior candidates. And that coupled with a noticeably better quality of hire will dramatically increase hiring manager satisfaction with the recruiting process.

A superior candidate experience — a talent pipeline process is candidate-centric, meaning that it focuses on identifying and meeting candidate needs. With more time for engagement, answering questions, and two-way communications, candidates will have a better experience both before and during the hiring process.

More diversity prospects and hires — the best diverse prospects are hard to find and harder to sell. However, because you have more time to find and then convince diverse individuals to apply, you will have more diversity hiring choices. And with less of a rush to assess and sell, more diversity hires will accept your offers.

Seven Recruiting Function Benefits

In addition to the important business impacts that were covered above, there are many ways that a recruiting function directly benefits from having a successful recruiting talent pipeline model. Those benefits that the recruiting function receives include:

Less stress on recruiters — the rush to hire often requires “panic sourcing” and the rush to accurately assess candidates puts a great deal of stress on recruiters. The pipeline approach meets the reality of overworked recruiters, which is unlikely to change at most corporations. Stretching out the process means less stress on recruiters but better results. Incidentally, there is also less stress on hiring managers, so that they will be less likely to dread the hiring process as much.

Fewer candidates will drop out during the recruiting process — one of the primary goals of the talent inventory process is to build commitment to the firm. That commitment increases when a prospect is provided with more information, when they have their questions answered and when a trust relationship is built over time. With an increased level of commitment, fewer candidates in the inventory will find reasons to drop out of even a prolonged hiring process. Fewer dropouts will mean better quality hires, less wasted time, and lower hiring costs.

The talent pipeline approach is ideal for landing the so-called passive — the most desirable and the largest percentages of ideal prospects are currently working and they are not actively looking. As a result, they will not see or be attracted by your firm’s job postings. The pipeline approach allows your recruiters to find them and make contact without ever mentioning an immediate job opening (which might scare employee prospects away). After a relationship of trust is built, the recruiter can gradually raise the possibility of someday joining your firm. This slow and deliberate approach is often the only successful way to hire the so-called passive prospects (they are not passive individuals; they are simply not actively looking for a job).

A talent pipeline helps to overcome a weak employer brand or location — under the traditional rushed “fill-an-immediate-opening” model, there is little time for the recruiter to sell potential applicants and candidates. This is especially a problem when the firm has a weak employer brand image or if the job is in a less desirable location. Under the pipeline model, recruiters have much more time to sell and to overcome these limitations.

Recruiters won’t have to rely on “coincidence hiring” — under most hiring, it’s simply a “coincidence” that an exceptional candidate is ready for a new job at the precise time that you have their ideal job open. A pipeline allows you to create “evergreen jobs” or reserved slots that are always open, so you can hire whenever an exceptional candidate become available. This can reduce recruiter frustration because they often find perfect prospects, but they can’t do anything with them because there is no open requisition.

You will be able to attract better recruiters — the best recruiters prefer the talent pipeline model because just like the executive search approach, it allows them the time to really get to know and to hire truly great individuals. The existence of a large external talent inventory and a stretched-out approach will on its own be enough to attract many exceptional recruiters.

It’s easy to prove that the pipeline approach is superior — many corporations have no recruiting talent inventory simply because of a lack of funding. Fortunately, it’s easy to make a strong business case for this approach because of the many advantages cited above. But it’s also especially easy to prove that this inventory approach works because some hires will come from the talent inventory while other hires will come from the traditional just-in-time sourcing. And as a result, you have a perfect “split sample.” And when you’re making a business case, the split-sample approach is the most credible method for proving too cynical executives that a program works. This natural split sample allows you to compare the performance of a control group’s hires (normal hires) with the new-hire performance from the experimental group’s hires (those from the talent inventory). With the percentage of increase in on-the-job performance, more diversity, and higher retention rates in hand, you can show and then quantify the many powerful business impacts of the talent inventory approach.

Final Thoughts

A talent inventory approach provides a firm with an alternative to the standard “fill-an-immediate opening” approach. With its many business impacts in a major corporation, it can produce millions of dollars of additional revenue and productivity by hiring better quality people, faster, and with fewer errors. It provides so many benefits, it’s a crime to have a poor-performing one or not to have one at all.

How to create learning experiences to meet the aspirations of Millennials

Congratulations! You have attracted and recruited and onboarded with flying colours your new team of Generation Y talent! So it’s time to lean back and let them perform, right?

You wish! Depending which study is cited, as much as 89% of Millennials say “it’s important to be constantly learning at my job”1. The fact that personal and professional development are amongst the top retention drivers, is undisputed. According to Deloitte’s Millennial Study 2016, 44% of respondents expect to quit their current employer in the next two years and 71% of those, are unhappy with how their leadership skills are being developed. In other words, to keep the talent you just invested so much time, funds and effort in hiring, you need to have a plan to develop them too if you want them to stay. As with any group of individuals, we know that not all members of one generation are the same. However, there are a several key attributes and commonalities we know about Gen Y that can help create an impactful development experience.

Make Learning Digestible

Generation Y has a short attention span. Those of us working with them on a daily basis tend to witness this regularly. Therefore, incorporating frequent milestones for achievement throughout the development journey helps to satisfy the instant gratification that Gen Ys so deeply appreciate. Learning at your organization should be blended, interactive, mobile and social (ideally a mix of that) but above all, ensure that it is digestible. Modules must offer bite-sized chunks of input and the smaller you can break down tasks and assignments, the likelier it is to capture Millennials’ attention. Incorporating technology, such as short video clips and podcasts, further supports the development of Gen Y. Whether learners practice how to draw a straight eyelid line thanks to YouTube or whether they study nuclear physics thanks to a MOOC – Gen Y embraces digestible learning.

Gamify Gen Y Development

Millennials are gamers. 65% of them are either avid or regular players of computer games2. Generation Y, are the original ‘Digital Natives’, having grown up in an era when technology influenced almost every aspect of their lives, so they will look for the same in training. Note, however, that a virtual learning environment alone, i.e. classic e-learning modules, is not sufficient. Millennials expect platforms to be modern, personalized and engaging. Having grown up on a constant dopamine high from gaming, they get bored quickly, so variety and fun are important aspects to engineer into any ‘edutainment’ learning experience. In addition, game oriented development should include elements of collaboration and social interaction, also in virtual settings. Not only do Gen Ys enjoy the opportunity to work in teams, positive personal relationships are a key factor in retaining this precious talent pool. Making learning fun should not be an oxymoron.

Adopt a Coaching Culture

Whereas older generations expect trainers or tutors to be subject matter experts and authority figures, who present professionally and focus on the topic, Gen Ys appreciate personal and informal relationships with facilitators and coaches, who cheer them on when they need encouragement and who have their back when they need help. Of course, this also applies to their direct manager - a supportive attitude trumps hierarchy and is a manager’s best bet to obtain loyalty! Organizational leaders are expected to be inclusive, invite participation, and allow failure. Mistakes will happen naturally, so why not let Gen Ys know that along with mistakes come learnings. Adopting a coaching culture means asking instead of telling, thus helping Millennials to come up with their own solutions and insights. This equally includes remote coaching relationships because Gen Ys “value ‘elationships’ as much as in-person relationships”3. Definitely something other generations can learn from them.

Implement 360° Feedback

The fact that Millennials are feedback junkies is well reported. According to the PwC Millennials at Work survey, 51% of those questioned said “feedback should be given very frequently or continually on the job”. It is important to realize, though, when Gen Ys asked for “feedback” what they really mean is positive reinforcement. Receiving candid performance feedback is not exactly their strength and might require some coaching first. However, knowing the value of feedback for Generation Y as well as their desire to be involved, take it one step further and ask that giving and receiving feedback goes both ways. In other words, implement regular 360° feedback habits (not processes!) at all levels. Millennials do not segregate into silos, and their natural tendency to engage across different departments, geographical locations and cultures is a great asset for organizations that aim to become more inclusive. As a bonus, you basically develop talent at all levels – KPI checked!

Gen Ys are expecting opportunities for growth and career advancement. If they don’t find their aspirations met, they’re gone faster than you can spell development plan. Make sure you are widely promoting and showcasing all the learning options available at your organization and adapt your offerings to the next generation of talent.

By now, most organizations understand that diversity is no longer a nice to have, it is a must to sustain profitability in an increasing global world. Customers come in all sorts of shapes, styles and preferences and the more their diversity is represented by your staff the better you can understand customer needs and effectively market to them. So basically, that’s a given and largely undisputed. Companies have D&I departments and pride themselves in tracking diversity KPIs, recruiters are incentivized to produce diverse candidate slates, and managers receive diversity training. Then why do corporations still struggle?

Well, maybe diversity is not the issue. Maybe it is the over half of the equation – the I in D&I.

A global Deloitte research study shows that while more than 80% of companies promote themselves as “highly inclusive” only 11% admit that they really are.1 How come? With all the quotas, metrics and trainings in place, why is it so hard to create an inclusive work environment? The answer is because we’re all human. We like people who remind us of the things that we like about ourselves and we act more favorably towards people who share an important attribute of our identity with us. It’s how our brains are wired after thousands of years of evolution when different equaled dangerous. In other words, inclusion is going against our human DNA.

Now take companies or any other crowd of people, who have a collective identity, a set of behavioral norms and values that are widely accepted by the people who make up the group. Following the logic above, it is only natural that they end up attracting and hiring employees who share the same attitude and behavioral style. Yet, the Australian Institute of Management says, “The idea that someone needs to fit in with a company culture is counterintuitive if an organization is also looking to drive diversity within its workforce.”2

While it is relatively easy to set and track KPIs around hiring for different gender, ethnicity, age, (dis-)abilities and education, the inclusion of diverse behavioral styles is a lot less intuitive. First of all, it takes skilled recruiters to identify those styles during the hiring process, then it takes political savviness to convince the stakeholders in the organization to seriously consider candidates who are different and last but not least, it takes courage from the decision maker to go against the grain. Still, the effort is worth it: Diversity in thought prevents groupthink, manages egos, increases the ability to solve problems and provides clarity on identifying the best-fitted teams to go after a challenge.3

So what are the benefits of hiring different behavioral styles?

People who are task and goal oriented might appear competitive, demanding and dominant in company cultures that are a little more indirect and have a moderate pace rather than a fast one. However, these people are daring, decisive and focused. They are energetic self-starters, persistent problem solvers and assertive crisis managers – great strengths that could benefit any organization. They achieve results by overcoming obstacles.

People who are goal and people oriented, can come across impulsive, superficial or egocentric in company cultures that are more systematic, calm and careful. Yet, their strength is their charisma, creativity and enthusiasm. They are communicative, passionate and persuasive – wonderful qualities to motivate others, energize teams and inspire groups to follow a vision. They achieve results by influencing people.

Then there are those who are people and process oriented. They give priority to relationships and feelings, yet have less intent to modify the environment they are operating in. They can appear indecisive, slow and change-averse, especially in fast pace, direct company cultures. But their strengths are sensitivity, service mindset and reliability. They are empathetic listeners, trustworthy team players and they achieve results by cooperating with others.

People who are process and task oriented, give priority to reason, logic and facts. They are accurate, methodical and patient, even though they might come across as bureaucratic, obsessive, and skeptical in environments with a more active, accelerated and dynamic rhythm. On the one hand, they might be “paralyzed by analysis”, on the other hand, they are great fact finders and meticulous strategists. They achieve results by ensuring precision.

All of the above styles contribute to an organization’s success, each in their own unique way. The power lies in a balanced combination of their strengths and only a truly inclusive workplace gives each style the space to unfold their potential. After all, research makes it clear that companies with more diverse workforces perform better financially.4 Therefore, make sure that your organization is not only diverse but equally inclusive.